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The Embassy

Chancery Building, U.S. Embassy Athens
Chancery Building, U.S. Embassy Athens

History

The Greek War of Independence began in 1821 and concluded in 1830 when England, France, and Russia forced the Ottoman Empire to grant Greece its independence under a European monarch, Prince Otto of Bavaria.

The United States supported the emergence of modern Greece from the earliest days, establishing diplomatic relations with the country on 1868.  Charles K. Tuckerman (1827-1896), the first Ambassador from the United States, was an American diplomat and writer. He served as the minister resident of Greece, which was at the time, a new job created by President Andrew Johnson. He was born in the United States, but spent most of his working life working in Hong Kong and Greece.

Today, in addition to the Embassy in Athens, the United States maintains a Consulate General in Thessaloniki.  Tens of thousands of private U.S. citizens now reside in Greece, while an estimated three million Americans residing in the United States claim Greek descent. 

For more information, see the State Department’s latest edition of Background Notes on Greece.

The Embassy Building

The Embassy Building, completed July 4, 1961, was two and one-half years in construction, at a cost of $1,500,000.  All of the wooden furniture was made in Greece, from American designs, by the Sarides Company of Athens, which has made furniture for Embassies of many nations throughout the world.  All the fabrics used in the upholstered furniture were created in the United States.  Nearly 350 Greek engineers, craftsmen and workmen were employed during the construction of the building.

Priority was given to the use of local materials.  All the marble, cement, tile and plastering materials are Greek products.  Most of the fabricated materials came from Western Europe.  The items imported form the United States were mainly machinery, such as the air-conditioning, heating and ventilating equipment, pumps and transformers.

The building was designed by Walter Gropius and “The Architects Collaborative Inc.” of Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.  It was constructed by the “Albertis-Demopoulos Construction Co.” of Athens.

The Chancery is in the shape of a perfect square with a center court, enclosing a planted area and fountain.  Exterior and interior columns, of Greek inspiration, are utilized to support giant horizontal crossbeams.  The building is constructed of steel and reinforced concrete and is air-conditioned.  Specially designed steel hangers are attached to these beams which suspend (hang) the second and third floors of the three-story building.  A kind of cradle effect is thus achieved, ensuring “give” in the event of a seismic tremor.

The marble of the building is as classic as its architectural style.  Most of it is the famous white marble from Mt. Penteli.  Black marble from Saint Peter, Peloponnesus, gray marble from Marathon and other native Greek marbles are used throughout the building.  The beautifully turned wooded stair railing were made with Greek pearwood by Greek artisans.

 

U.S.-Greece Relations Overview

The United States and Greece have longstanding historical, political, and cultural ties based on a common heritage, shared democratic values, and participation as Allies during World War II, the Korean conflict, and the Cold War. The Greek Government responded to the September 11, 2001 attacks with strong political support for the United States, use of Greek airspace, and the offer of Greek military assets in support of the counterterrorism campaign. Its participation in Operation Enduring Freedom included the stationing of a Greek Navy frigate in the Arabian Sea for almost 2 years--the most distant deployment for the Greek Navy since WWII.

In January 2006, the United States and Greece signed protocols updating treaties covering extradition and mutual legal assistance, which further strengthened this cooperation.

An estimated three million Americans resident in the United States claim Greek descent. This large, well-organized community cultivates close political and cultural ties with Greece. There are approximately 90,000 to 100,000 American citizens resident in Greece. Greece has the seventh-largest population of U.S. Social Security beneficiaries in the world.

The United States has provided Greece with more than $11.1 billion in economic and security assistance since 1946. Economic programs were phased out by 1962, but military financial assistance continued until the early 1990s.

In 1953, the first defense cooperation agreement between Greece and the United States was signed, providing for the establishment and operation of American military installations on Greek territory. The United States closed three of its four main bases in the 1990s. The current mutual defense cooperation agreement (MDCA) provides for the operation by the United States of a naval support facility that exploits the strategically located deep-water port and airfield at Souda Bay in Crete.

U.S.-Greece Trade

In 2004, the U.S. trade surplus with Greece was about $1.5 billion. There are no significant non-tariff barriers to American exports. The United States accounted for 4.4% of Greece's imports in 2004, which reached $52.6 billion. The top U.S. exports remain defense articles, although American business activity is expected to grow in the tourism development, medical, construction, food processing, and packaging and franchising sectors. U.S. companies are involved in Greece's ongoing privatization efforts; further deregulation of Greece's energy sector and the country's central location as a transportation hub for Europe may offer additional opportunities in electricity, gas, refinery, and related sectors.